Device and method for improving the visibility of hand signals

ABSTRACT

A device for covering a portion of a finger of a hand is provided. A pad that is sized and shaped to be positioned on a fingernail of the finger is releasably affixable to the fingernail. An adhesive applied to the lower surface of the pad has sufficient strength to keep the pad affixed to the fingernail when the pad is applied to the fingernail until the pad is manually removed from the fingernail. The upper surface of the pad is reflective such that the visibility of hand signals given while the pad is affixed to the fingernail is improved relative to hand signals given while the pad is not affixed to the finger nail.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application the claims priority of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/491,848 titled HAND SIGNAL ENHANCING SYSTEM, DEVICEAND PROCESS, filed on May 31, 2011, which is incorporated by referencein its entirety herein.

BACKGROUND

In situations where audible communication is not feasible or notdesirable, hand signals may be used to exchange information. In the gameof baseball, for example, it is common for catchers at home plate tocall the game by using hand signals to communicate proposed pitches andplays to the pitcher at the pitching mound. In order to shield thesehand signals from the opposing team, catchers typically position theirhands between their legs while calling the game.

Due to the distance between home plate and the pitching mound, however,pitchers may have difficulty seeing the finger positions and fingermotions of the catcher. Additionally, the visibility of hand signalsfrom the catcher may be further obscured by shadows caused by, forexample, large stadium venues and artificial lighting during nightgames.

Various approaches have been attempted to improve the visibility of handsignals from the catcher. Some catchers, for example, have attempted toimprove the visibility of their hand signals by wrapping tape aroundtheir fingers. Taped fingers, however, can interfere with throwing theball and other types of ball handling due to the tape being positionedon both the upper and under side of the fingers. Other catchers, asanother example, have attempted to improve the visibility of their handsignals by painting correction fluid (e.g., Wite-Out®, Liquid Paper®,etc.) onto their fingernails. Painted fingernails, however, take timeand effort to prepare and clean. Cleaning painted fingernails mayrequire time-consuming scraping or a heavy-duty dissolvent. Other fingeraccessories such as cosmetic fingernail decals or general purposestickers may be insufficiently durable to withstand intense athleticactivity. Moisture (e.g., water, sweat, etc.) can cause decals andstickers to deteriorate making them unsuitable for rigorous athleticactivity such as baseball.

Therefore, a need exists for an improved approach to enhancing thevisibility of hand signals.

SUMMARY

A device for covering a portion of a finger of a hand is provided. A padthat is sized and shaped to be positioned on a fingernail of the fingeris releasably affixable to the fingernail. An adhesive applied to thelower surface of the pad has sufficient strength to keep the pad affixedto the fingernail when the pad is applied to the fingernail until thepad is manually removed from the fingernail. The upper surface of thepad is reflective such that the visibility of hand signals given whilethe pad is affixed to the fingernail is improved relative to handsignals given while the pad is not affixed to the finger nail.

The adhesive applied to the lower surface of the pad may be apressure-sensitive acrylic adhesive, and the pad may be formed of amoisture-resistant vinyl material that repels moisture while the pad isaffixed to the fingernail. The vinyl material the pad is formed of mayalso be white in color to provide a visual contrast between the pad andthe area surrounding the pad. Additionally, the pad may include a planarbody bounded by a straight top edge having a length of around 0.25inches, a bow-shaped bottom edge having an arc length of around 0.279inches, a bow-shaped left edge having an arc length of around 0.158inches, and a bow-shaped right edge having an arc length of around 0.158inches.

A method for improving the visibility of hand signals is also provided.A device for covering a portion of a finger of a hand is positioned overthe fingernail of the finger. The device includes a pad that is sizedand shaped to be positioned on the fingernail. The pad is oriented overthe fingernail such that the reflective upper surface of the pad ispresented in a direction away from the top side of the finger nail. Thepad is lowered onto the fingernail such that an adhesive applied to thelower surface of the pad bonds with the top side of the fingernail andaffixes the pad to the fingernail. The adhesive has a sufficientstrength to keep the pad affixed to the fingernail until the pad ismanually removed from the fingernail. The upper surface of the pad isdisplayed when giving hand signals such that the visibility of the handsignals given while the pad is affixed to the fingernail is improvedrelative to hand signals given while the pad is not affixed to thefingernail.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be better understood by referring to the followingfigures. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale,emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of theinvention. In the figures, like reference numerals designatecorresponding parts throughout different views.

FIG. 1 is a top view of an example of an implementation of a device forimproving the visibility of hand signals.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the device for improving the visibility ofhand signals of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a procedure for applying thedevice for improving the visibility of hand signals of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top view of multiple devices for improving the visibility ofhand signals respectively applied to the fingers of a hand.

FIG. 5A is a perspective view illustrating an example method of use of adevice for improving the visibility of hand signals.

FIG. 5B is a close-up view illustrating the example method of use inFIG. 5A.

FIG. 5C is another perspective view illustrating the example method ofuse of a device for improving the visibility of hand signals.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an example of an implementation of adevice for improving the visibility of hand signals.

FIG. 7 is a top view of another example of an implementation of a devicefor improving the visibility of hand signals.

DESCRIPTION

A device and method for improving the visibility of hand signals isprovided. While the device and method are described below in the contextof improving the call signs from a baseball catcher, it will beunderstood that the device and method may be employed in any situationwhere hand signals are given to communicate information. For example,baseball players at defensive positions may employ the device to improvethe visibility of hand signals given from the field to communicatedefensive plays and other information. Participants in othersports—e.g., softball, football, basketball, volleyball, etc.—may alsoemploy the device to improve the visibility of hand signals given duringgame play. In general, individuals may employ the device for improvinghand signals in any situation where hand signals are used to communicateinformation.

Referring to FIG. 1, a top view of an example of an implementation of adevice 100 for improving the visibility of hand signals is shown. Thedevice 100 is designed to cover a portion of a finger of a hand. As usedin this description, “finger” refers to the five digits of a handincluding the thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and pinkyfinger. The device 100 includes a pad 102 that is sized and shaped to bepositioned only on the fingernail portion of the finger, i.e., the topside of the finger. Because the pad 102 is applied only on the top sideof the finger, the pad does not interfere with, e.g., throwing abaseball or other ball handling activities.

The pad 102 may be formed of a flexible material so that the pad mayconform to the shape of the fingernail when the pad is applied to thefingernail. The pad 102 may also be formed of a moisture-resistantmaterial that repels moisture (e.g., water, sweat, etc.) while the padis affixed to a fingernail. For example, the pad 102 may be formed of avinyl material. A suitable vinyl material for the pad 102 may beavailable from FLEXCon of Spencer, Mass. as product FLEXmark® V 325 FWHITE V-465 8 PT TAG REMOISTURIZE. A vinyl material may also providedurability for the pad 102 allowing the pad to withstand wear and tearcaused by rigorous activity.

As seen in FIG. 1, the pad 102, in this example, includes a planar body104 bounded by four edges 106, 108, 110, and 112. The planar body 104 ofthe pad 102 shown by way of example in FIG. 1 is bound by a straight topedge 106, an arcuate (i.e., bow-shaped) bottom edge 108, an arcuate leftedge 110, and an arcuate right edge 112. It will be understood that theshape of the pad 102 of the device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is by way ofexample only and other shapes for the pad of the device may beselectively employed.

The upper surface 114 of the pad 102 is reflective to improve thevisibility of hand signals. The reflectivity of the upper surface 114 ofthe pad 102 thus improves the visibility of hand signals given while thepad is applied to a fingernail relative to hand signals given while thepad is not applied to the fingernail. A reflective material applied tothe upper surface 114 of the pad 102 may provide the reflective qualityfor the upper surface. For example, a layer of paint applied to theupper surface 114 of the pad 102 may provide a shiny reflective finish.Other types of additives may be applied to the upper surface 114 of thepad 102 to provide the reflectivity of the upper surface. Materials thatmay be applied to the upper surface 114 of the pad 102 to providereflectivity include, for example, chrome, silver, retroreflectivematerials, phosphorescent materials (i.e., glow-in-the-dark materials),fluorescent materials, and the like.

The color of the upper surface 114 of the pad 102 may also facilitatethe improvement of the visibility of hand signals. The color of theupper surface 114 of the pad 102 may provide a visual contrast betweenthe pad and the area surrounding the pad, e.g., the skin pigment of thefinger the pad is attached to, shadows surrounding the finger and hand,etc. Examples of colors that may provide the visual contrast between thepad 102 and surrounding area include, for example, brilliant white,fluorescent yellow, fluorescent orange, and fluorescent green. Otherexamples colors such as pink, blue, and red may also be employed.Additionally, some colors for the upper surface 114 of the pad 102 maybe better suited for particular situations and circumstances. Variousfactors that may be considered when selecting a color for the pad 102include, for example, the skin tone of the individual wearing thedevice, whether the device will be worn during the day or at night,whether the device will be used indoors or outdoors, the lightingconditions in which the pad is used, and the amount of shadowssurrounding the device during use.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a bottom view of the device 100 of FIG. 1 isshown. An adhesive 116 is applied to the lower surface 118 of the pad102 for releasably affixing the pad to a fingernail. The adhesive 116has a strength sufficient to keep the pad 102 of the device 100 affixedto the fingernail until the pad is manually removed from the fingernail.In other words, the adhesive 116 is strong enough to keep the pad 102 ofthe device 100 affixed to the fingernail during rigorous activity untilan individual decides to remove the pad—i.e., the pad is removable ondemand. A suitable adhesive 116 may be a pressure-sensitive acrylicadhesive that may also be available from FLEXCon of Spencer, Mass. Theadhesive may be, for example, a Super-Tac adhesive.

A procedure for applying the device 100 to improve the visibility ofhand signals is shown in FIG. 3. To apply the device 100, the pad 102 ofthe device is positioned over a fingernail 120 of a finger 122. The pad102 is oriented over the fingernail 120 such that the reflective uppersurface 114 of the pad is presented in a direction away from the topside 124 of the fingernail 120. The pad 102 of the device 100 may alsobe oriented relative to the fingernail 120 such that the arcuate bottomedge 108 of the pad is positioned next to the cuticle 126 of thefingernail and the straight top edge 106 of the pad is positioned nextto the distal edge 128 of the fingernail. It will be understood thatother orientations of the edges of the pad 102 may be selectivelyemployed.

The pad 102 is then lowered onto the fingernail 120 such that theadhesive 116 on the lower surface 118 of the pad bonds with the top side124 of the fingernail 120. The adhesive 116 thus releasably affixes thepad 102 to the fingernail 120. As discussed above, the adhesive 116 onthe lower surface 118 of the pad 102 has a strength sufficient to keepthe pad affixed to the fingernail 120 until the pad is manually removed,for example, by peeling the pad off of the fingernail. The pad may beremoved by peeling back the top edge, the bottom edge, the left edge, orthe right edge in order to unbond the adhesive on the lower surface ofthe pad from the fingernail. In this way, the device 100 for improvingthe visibility of hand signals advantageously provides a relatively easyand relatively quick method of application and removal. With the pad 102applied to the fingernail 120, the reflective upper surface 114 of thepad may be displayed while giving hand signals. In this way, thevisibility of hand signals given while the pad 102 is applied to thefingernail 120 is advantageously improved relative to hand signals givenwhile the pad is not applied to the fingernail.

FIG. 4 is a top view of multiple devices 100 for improving thevisibility of hand signals respectively applied to the fingers 122 of ahand 130. As seen in FIG. 4, each finger 122 of the hand 130 includes atleast one pad 102 applied to the respective fingernails 120. If thefingernails 120 of the hand 130 are particularly large, an individualmay apply multiple pads 102 to the finger 120. The thumb 132 of the hand130 shown by way of example in FIG. 4 includes two pads 134 and 136 forimproving the visibility of hand signals layered on top of one anotheron the fingernail 120 of the thumb (i.e., thumbnail). Individuals mayapply and layer multiple pads 102 if a fingernail 120 is relativelylarge. Additionally, an individual may apply respective pads 102 to oneor more fingers 122, e.g., only one finger, each finger, or any subsetof fingers.

Referring now to FIGS. 5A-C, an example method of use of the device 100for improving the visibility of hand signals is shown. In this example,a baseball catcher 138 has applied a pad 102 of a device 100 forimproving the visibility of hand signals to each of four fingers 122 ofhis hand 130 as seen in the close-up view of FIG. 5B. In this way, thedevices 100 improve the visibility of hand signals given by a catcher138 when viewed by a baseball pitcher 140 as shown by way of example inFIG. 5C. As discussed above, it will be understood that the devices 100may be employed in any situation where hand signals are used tocommunicate information in order to improve the visibility of those handsignals.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an example of an implementation of adevice 100 for improving the visibility of hand signals. The device 100shown in FIG. 6 has the same shape as the device shown in FIG. 1. Asdiscussed above, the pad 102 of the device 100 may include a straighttop edge 106, and arcuate bottom edge 108, an arcuate left edge 110, andan arcuate right edge 112. The pad 102 may have a width W, a top edgelength L1, and a bottom edge length L2.

As seen in FIG. 6, the arcuate edges 108, 110, and 112 of the pad 102 ofthe device 100 may conform to a circular arc of a circle. For example,the bottom edge 108 of the pad 102 may conform to a circular arc of acircle C₁ having a radius R₁, the left edge 110 of the pad may conformto a circular arc of a circle C₂ having a radius R₂, and the right edgeof the pad may conform to a circular arc of a circle C₃ having a radiusR₃. In this example, the arcuate bottom edge 108 of the pad 102 has anarc length A₁, the arcuate left edge 110 of the pad has an arc lengthA₂, and the arcuate right edge 112 of the pad has an arc length A₃. Alsoin this example, the arcuate bottom edge 108 of the pad 102 has a depth(i.e., a sagitta) D₁, the arcuate left edge 110 of the pad has a depthD₂, and the arcuate right edge 112 of the pad also has a depth D₃.

Two example embodiments of a device for improving the visibility of handsignals are described. It will be understood that the dimensions givenare approximate and rounded to the thousandth unit of measurement. Unitsof measurement are given in both inches (in.) and centimeters (cm). Itwill be understood that the two embodiments described below are by wayof example only and other embodiments may have alternative dimensions.

In one example embodiment, the pad 102 has a width W around 0.153 in.(0.389 cm); a top edge length L₁ around 0.250 in. (0.635 cm); and abottom edge length L₂ around 0.270 in. (0.686 cm). In this exampleembodiment, the arcuate bottom edge 108 conforms to a circular arc of acircle C₁ having a radius R₁ around 0.333 in. (0.846 cm); the arcuateleft edge 110 conforms to a circular arc of a circle C₂ having a radiusR₂ around 0.197 in. (0.500 cm); and the arcuate right edge 112 conformsto a circular arc of a circle C₃ having a radius R₃ around 0.197 in.(0.500 cm). Also in this example, the arcuate bottom edge 108 has an arclength A₁ around 0.279 in. (0.709 cm) and a depth D₁ around 0.028 in.(0.071 cm); the arcuate left edge 110 has an arc length A₂ around 0.158in. (0.401 cm) and a depth D₂ around 0.016 in. (0.041 cm); and thearcuate right edge 112 has an arc length A₃ around 0.158 in. (0.401 cm)and a depth D₃ around 0.016 in. (0.041 cm).

In another example embodiment, the pad 102 has a width W around 0.460in. (1.168 cm); a top edge length L₁ around 0.750 in. (1.905 cm); and abottom edge length L₂ around 0.810 in. (2.057 cm). In this exampleembodiment, the arcuate bottom edge 108 conforms to a circular arc of acircle C₁ having a radius R₁ around 1.013 in. (2.573 cm); the arcuateleft edge 110 conforms to a circular arc of a circle C₂ having a radiusR₂ around 0.592 in. (1.504 cm); and the arcuate right edge 112 conformsto a circular arc of a circle C₃ having a radius R₃ around 0.592 in.(1.504 cm). Also in this example, the arcuate bottom edge 108 has an arelength A₁ around 0.849 in. (2.156 cm) and a depth D₁ around 0.084 in.(0.213 cm); the arcuate left edge 110 has an arc length A₂ around 0.457in. (1.161 cm) and a depth D₂ around 0.047 in. (0.119 cm); and thearcuate right edge 112 has an arc length A₃ around 0.457 in. (1.161 cm)and a depth D₃ around 0.047 in. (0.119 cm).

Referring now to FIG. 7, another example of a device 100 for improvingthe visibility of hand signals is shown. In this example, multiple pads102 are releasably affixed to a transfer sheet 142. The transfer sheet142 supports the pads 102 for relatively easy storage until anindividual desires to use the pads in order to improve the visibility ofhand signals. The transfer sheet 142 may be opaque or transparent and beformed of paper, plastic, or other material suitable to support the pads102 releasably affixed to the surface 144 of the transfer sheet. As seenin the example device 100 shown in FIG. 7, the pads 102 are uniform insize and are arranged on the transfer sheet 142 in multiple rows 146,which include multiple pads. Each row 146 may include five pads 102 thatrespectively correspond to the five fingers 122 on a hand 130 of anindividual as shown by way of example in FIG. 7.

The foregoing description of an implementation has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description. It is not exhaustive and doesnot limit the claimed inventions to the precise form disclosed.Modifications and variations are possible in light of the abovedescription or may be acquired from practicing the invention. Note alsothat the implementation may vary between devices. The claims and theirequivalents define the scope of the invention.

1. A device for covering a portion of a finger of a hand comprising: apad releasably affixable to a fingernail of the finger, the pad is sizedand shaped to be positioned on the fingernail of the finger; an adhesiveapplied to a lower surface of the pad, the adhesive having sufficientstrength such that, when the pad is applied to the fingernail, theadhesive keeps the pad affixed to the fingernail until the pad ismanually removed from the fingernail; and wherein an upper surface ofthe pad is reflective such that visibility of hand signals given whilethe pad is affixed to the fingernail is improved relative to handsignals given while the pad is not affixed to the fingernail.
 2. Thedevice of claim 1 wherein the pad is formed of a moisture-resistantmaterial that repels moisture while the pad is affixed to thefingernail.
 3. The device of claim 2 wherein the moisture-resistantmaterial is a vinyl material.
 4. The device of claim 1 wherein theadhesive is a pressure-sensitive acrylic adhesive.
 5. The device ofclaim 1 wherein the pad comprises a planar body bounded by a straighttop edge, an arcuate bottom edge, an arcuate left edge, and an arcuateright edge.
 6. The device of claim 5 wherein: the pad is sized to bepositioned only on the fingernail of the finger; the top edge has alength of around 0.250 inches; the bottom edge has an arc length ofaround 0.279 inches; the left edge has an arc length of around 0.158inches; and the right edge has an arc length of around 0.158 inches. 7.The device of claim 6 wherein: the bottom edge conforms to a circulararc of a circle having a radius of around 0.333 inches; the left edgeconforms to a circular arc of a circle having a radius of around 0.197inches; and the right edge conforms to a circular arc of a circle havinga radius of around 0.197 inches.
 8. The device of claim 1 wherein thepad is colored white such that a visual contrast between the pad and anarea surrounding the pad is provided.
 9. The device of claim 1 furthercomprising a transfer sheet that the pad is releasably affixed towherein the transfer sheet supports the pad until the pad is manuallyremoved from the transfer sheet.
 10. The device of claim 9 wherein: aplurality of pads are releasably affixed to the transfer sheet andarranged on the transfer sheet in one or more rows; and individual rowsinclude five pads respectively corresponding to five fingers of thehand.
 11. A device for covering a portion of a finger of a handcomprising: a pad releasably affixable to a fingernail of the finger,the pad sized to be positioned only on the fingernail of the finger; apressure-sensitive acrylic adhesive applied to a lower surface of thepad, the adhesive having sufficient strength such that, when the pad isapplied to the fingernail, the adhesive keeps the pad affixed to thefingernail until the pad is manually removed from the fingernail;wherein an upper surface of the pad is reflective such that visibilityof hand signals given while the pad is affixed to the fingernail isimproved relative to hand signals given while the pad is not affixed tothe fingernail; wherein the pad is formed of a white-colored,moisture-resistant vinyl material that repels moisture while the pad isaffixed to the fingernail and that provides a visual contrast betweenthe pad and an area surrounding the pad; and wherein the pad includes aplanar body bounded by a straight top edge having a length of around0.250 inches, an arcuate bottom edge having an arc length of around0.279 inches, an arcuate left edge having an arc length of around 0.158inches, and an arcuate right edge having an arc length of around 0.158inches.
 12. The device of claim 11 further comprising: a transfer sheeta plurality of pads are releasably affixed to, the transfer sheetsupports the plurality of pads until individual pads of the plurality ofpads are manually removed from the transfer sheet; wherein the pluralityof pads are arranged on the transfer sheet in one or more rows; andwherein individual rows include five pads respectively corresponding tofive fingers of the hand.
 13. A method for improving the visibility ofhand signals comprising: positioning a device for covering a portion ofa finger of a hand over a fingernail of the finger, the device includinga pad sized and shaped to be positioned on the fingernail; orienting thepad over the fingernail such that a reflective upper surface of the padis presented in a direction away from a top side of the fingernail;lowering the pad onto the fingernail such that an adhesive applied to alower surface of the pad bonds with the top side of the fingernail andaffixes the pad to the fingernail, the adhesive having a sufficientstrength to keep the pad affixed to the fingernail until the pad ismanually removed from the fingernail; and displaying the upper surfaceof the pad when giving hand signals such that visibility of the handsignals given while the pad is affixed to the fingernail is improvedrelative to hand signals given while the pad is not affixed to thefingernail.
 14. The method of claim 13 further comprising removing thepad from a transfer sheet that the pad is releasably affixed to whereinthe transfer sheet supports the pad until the pad is manually removedfrom the transfer sheet.
 15. The method of claim 13 wherein: the pad isformed of a moisture-resistant vinyl material that repels moisture whilethe pad is affixed to the fingernail; and the adhesive is apressure-sensitive acrylic adhesive.
 16. The method of claim 13 furthercomprising removing the pad from the fingernail by manually peeling backone of the top edge, the bottom edge, the left edge, or the right edgesuch that the adhesive on the lower surface of the pad unbonds from thefingernail.
 17. The method of claim 13 wherein the pad comprises aplanar body bounded by a straight top edge, an arcuate bottom edge, anarcuate left edge, and an arcuate right edge.
 18. The method of claim 17wherein: the pad is sized to be positioned only on the fingernail of thefinger; the top edge has a length of around 0.250 inches; the bottomedge has an arc length of around 0.279 inches and conforms to a circulararc of a circle having a radius of around 0.333 inches; the left edgehas an arc length of around 0.158 inches and conforms to a circular arcof a circle having a radius of around 0.197 inches; and the right edgehas an arc length of around 0.158 inches and conforms to a circular arcof a circle having a radius of around 0.197 inches.
 19. The method ofclaim 13 wherein the hand signals are given by a baseball catcher to abaseball pitcher while the catcher calls a baseball game.
 20. The methodof claim 13 further comprising affixing a pad to each respectivefingernail of the fingers of the hand.